365.2: Tacos con la Familia

It's just a Thursday night. It's just tacos. It's just family. I love the smell of taco shells in the oven.

365.1: Packing Up Christmas

Yesterday was the first day of 2014. Other than a quick trip to Publix to get eggs we spent all of it at home. Chess, fudge, Christmas leftovers, knitting, nail polish, crochet, and tatting were the day's activities. Oh yes...we also took down Christmas decorations. All four trees are now packed and ready for their debut on the day after Thanksgiving.
I'm not quite sure how our garage now looks more organized with all the boxes of Christmas decor back in their places, but it really does. I am amazed by my wife's organizational skill. In seventeen years of marriage, I have never known our kitchen/living room/dining room not to be "company ready." She is raising three children, has run three different businesses out of our home, moved twice in the last six months, taught full-time, babysat, and kept a sloppy, creative, free-thinker like me grounded and sane. Somewhere in there she still finds time to sew, crochet, tat, and craft amazing handmade treasures for us, our family, and our friends.
When I was a young boy I had a huge crush on Wonder Woman.
When I was a young man, I married her.

Andrew and Beth: MARRIED!

Memorial Day was certainly a day to remember for Andrew and Beth. Family, friends, and a beautiful venue at the Cotillion in Independence made their ceremony completely unforgettable. Andrew is in the Navy and got just enough leave to get back into town for the wedding/honeymoon. After that, Andrew will head right back out to sea to serve our country. I can't help but be so thankful to both Andrew for serving and Beth for sharing her husband with the rest of us. I was honored to be a part of this selfless and beautiful couple's big day.

Jacob and Lauren: ENGAGED!

This love crossed band sections! Lauren played the trumpet, and Jacob played the sax, but that didn't keep them apart. These two became great friends in high school marching band, traveled the country together on tour, and played in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! All of this was before their first date! True love came after a long friendship...what a great foundation they've got for spending the rest of their lives together! Congrats, Jacob and Lauren! You're great people, and I can't wait for your wedding!

Pat and Amanda: ENGAGED!

Who knew that pool could lead to true love? Pat and Amanda met playing pool in the same league and hit it off right away. The rest, as they say, is history. Pat and Amanda's love for each other shines through in their conversation, so it was very easy to enjoy trekking around the gloriously eroded recesses of Kansas City's West Bottoms district with them.

This couple is headed to Ireland for their honeymoon, so we had to make sure to hit the J.O.B. Theatre which brings a little bit of celtic wonder to the midwest. Can't wait for this amazing wedding in March! With Pat and Amanda's strong love anchoring the day, it's sure to be a blast!

Kassi and Aaron: Cowboy Love Story

You know, it's not very often that I get to photograph a good old-fashioned cowboy love story. This was my first, and I hope it's not my last. Kassi and Aaron are a match made in cowboy heaven. Aaron is a true-to-life, horse wrangling, bull riding, rope throwing cowboy. Kassi is a farm girl with a love for horses, goats and just about anything else with four legs. When she saw Aaron, it was love at first sight! Don't believe me? Let Kassi put it in her own words:

Aaron came to our house with his brother to trim a horse. When he got out of the truck I about fell over... I had never seen someone with such pretty eyes and smile. I tried to hide behind him so he wouldn't see I was blushing but he kept turning around and smiling. A week later I saw him again and met his family and knew then I wanted to marry him! God was so good in sending Aaron to me!

Kassi approached her wedding day with a calm grace that I have rarely seen. She was neither frazzled nor excitable, but acted as a calming influence to those around her. The details of her day were a reflection of her and Aaron and paid honor to their parents and grandparents in some very special ways.

The ceremony was beautiful! Aaron rode away with his new bride on a horse-drawn carriage...into the sunset. Such a magical start for this special couple to begin writing their happily ever after!

Cinnamon Rhubarb Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups self rising flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 cup milk
3.8 Tablespoons oil
2 cups rhubarb (finely chopped)
raw sugar
cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift flour, add sugar, rhubarb, egg, milk and oil, mix until combined. Spay muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray and use an ice cream scoop to fill. Mix a little raw sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Special thanks for this recipe to Lesley's Recipe Archive!